Bourbon Barrel-Aged Belgian Quad
Rooftop Brewing Company

 

Dark honey brown body; very thin, wispy head; later, after pouring the rest of the bottle, there was some decent sheets of foam coating the glass. Initial aroma of bourbon; some dark fruit like dried figs and raisins. Fairly boozy taste but more sweet malt notes develop as the beer warms; a bit of spiciness also develops as the brew opens up. Medium-heavy body; comes across rather thin; boozy heat; medium bit of residual sugar.

My first impressions weren't too impressed, perhaps because the bottle and beer were probably around 40° F or so. Things improved a bit with warmth, but not substantially so. An okay barrel-aged quad exhibiting some of its bourbon barrel lineage, not overly memorable, but worth exploring.

 

22 oz bottle

Pours hazy brown, eggshell ring for a head.

Aroma is of rich fig, molasses, caramel, oak and biscuit.

Flavor is of fig, molasses, oak, and dry biscuit.

Full body, tingly carbonation on the tongue.

Pretty underwhelming to be honest. The flavor is mild and kind of bland. Basically no indication of the bourbon Barrel aging at all and the beer itself misses most of the crucial elements of a good quad. It's not awful, just forgettable and not noteworthy. Pretty bottle, though.

EDIT: I tweaked my score a bit because I felt this beer got better as it warmed up. There was some citrus zest coming through on the taste which, while not traditional to the style, was pleasant.

 

Look: Very dark brown. Half a finger of fizzy white head on the pour that quickly dissipates.

Smell: Almost sour cherries, raspberries, and chocolate.

Taste: Chocolate malt with a very slight hint of roast to it. Some of those cherry and raspberry notes.

Mouthfeel: Full body with decent carbonation.

Overall: I'm surprised by how fruity it is, but I'm fond of it in a way.

$ 19.28 (Including shipping)/22 oz waxed bottle ($ 0.876/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA.
Undated bottle. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 57 degrees in a hand-washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Caramel, clear.
Body – Dark amber, hazy, moderate effervescence.
Head – Small (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), tan, dense, fizzy, diminishing to a one mm crown continually being renewed by effervescence and no cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3 – Weak caramel and some weaker phenolics.
Flavor – 3.5 - Begins sour but the sourness eases back as it breathes. No alcohol (10% ABV) is noticeable in the flavor, but as it warms past 57 degrees, some becomes evident on the post-swallow exhale. In general, this lacks most flavor beyond the eventual caramel sweetness. No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, almost syrupy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.25. -0.25 point for being undated. Incredibly overpriced. This is the second brew aged in Woodford Reserve I’ve consumed in five days and there is NO hint of either bourbon or barrel. While in general I like sours and I like Belgian quads, a sour Belgian quad is a style I can do without.

2/8/19 bottling, aged for 12 months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels and sealed with blue wax... Medium brown beer kicked up very little head... Produced characteristics of dates and caramel, vanilla, and oak, with suggestions of honey and fig... Medium-light feel with no palpable carbonation... Decent but not breathtaking...

 

Poured from 22oz waxed bomber into a tulip. Bottle 46/1000.

Appearance: rich brown hue with a heavy haze and a thin finger of frothy tan foam. I really like it.

Smell: very sweet and malty with a fair bit of bourbon in the mix. Not bad, but it's a bit strong for my taste.

Taste: rich and malty; the bourbon is less pronounced at first but it really builds. Again, it's not a bad beer, but it lacks any sort of subtlety or finesse.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a lowish carbonation and an OK creaminess.

Overall: this beer is way strong and boozy; sometimes that works, but here there's not enough complexity of character to really keep me interested.